From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY –In a video released Friday morning, Alabama governor Robert Bentley announced that he will call for a special session of the legislature to consider a vote for a statewide lottery. The announcement had been expected for several days.
According to the governor’s statement, it appears the purpose of the lottery would be to fund an $85 million shortfall in the Medicaid budget.
Bentley, who had previously gone on the record opposing a lottery, said all other funding options had been exhausted.
Other than mentioning the underfunded healthcare needs, the statement was short on details with no mention of who would administer the lottery, how all of the proceeds would be spent, or whether the proposed bill would allow casino gambling.
The special session is expected to begin on August 15.
Former governor Don Siegelman proposed a lottery in 1999. The measure overwhelmingly failed on a statewide ballot when it was revealed that Siegelman’s bill would give lottery administrative control to donors and cronies.
Siegelman loaned $1 million dollars to the lottery campaign and was later convicted accepting payoffs for board appointments to pay for the campaign. He is currently serving his sentence in state prison.